At the beginning of the year, many tourists chose Vinh Loc as their spring travel destination, because this place not only has a system of historical - cultural relics and famous landscapes, but also has many traditional festivals that are still preserved and organized by the people.

The Trinh Palace Festival in 2025 and the 455th anniversary of the death of Minh Khang Thai Vuong Trinh Kiem (1570-2025) attracted a large number of people and tourists to attend.

If you come to Vinh Loc, you will definitely choose Thanh Nha Ho as your first destination. The citadel is located on the border of the plains and mountains, with beautiful scenery and harmonious mountains and rivers. Thanh Nha Ho is considered a unique and rare large-scale architectural work in Vietnam, the only one remaining in Southeast Asia, and one of the few remaining stone citadels in the world. Up to now, after more than 600 years of existence with the ups and downs of history and the impact of natural disasters, the stone walls here are basically still quite intact... Thanks to the unique architecture of Thanh Nha Ho, it has created an attraction for tourists to explore and learn.

In addition, the Ho Dynasty Citadel Heritage Conservation Center is also flexible in creating new tourism products to attract visitors. Deputy Director of the Center Trinh Huu Anh said: "We have made efforts to develop more products and new spaces to serve tourists, typically: the agricultural culture space of the Tay Do region, the outdoor exhibition space, the display of cannon models and the reforms of the Ho Dynasty; organizing heritage education programs for students... Along with that, we have included in the tour program the area surrounding the Ho Dynasty Citadel such as the tour route starting from the Ho Dynasty Citadel passing through relic sites such as the temple of Lady Binh Khuong, Linh Giang Pagoda, Nhan Lo Pagoda, Tam Tong Temple (Tran Khat Chan Temple); or the tour route from the Ho Dynasty Citadel - Dong Mon Communal House - East Gate and East Wall - Inner Citadel - West Gate and West Wall - Tay Giai Ancient House - South Gate and South Wall of the Ho Dynasty Citadel"...

Leaving the Ho Dynasty Citadel, visitors can visit the Ho Dynasty's Nam Giao Altar right in Vinh Loc town. The altar was built by the retired Emperor Ho Quy Ly and Emperor Ho Han Thuong in August 1402 at the foot of Don Son Mountain. This is the most important religious work of the Ho Dynasty - where the king annually performed a ceremony to pray for national peace and prosperity or a ceremony on the occasion of a general amnesty. After many historical ups and downs, the altar is still one of the three altars that still retain a relatively intact surface, the oldest in the history of the Nam Giao Altar of Vietnam. Every year, on the occasion of the second lunar month, the Ho Family Council of Thanh Hoa and the Ho Dynasty Citadel Heritage Conservation Center organize incense offerings to commemorate the Holy Father Emperor Ho Quy Ly and celebrate the Ho Dynasty's opening of the Nam Giao Altar.

On the journey to explore Vinh Loc land, the historical relic complex of Trinh Palace and Vet Temple (Vinh Hung Commune) is certainly a destination that tourists cannot miss. Among them, the most prominent is Trinh Palace - a typical architectural work, marking the existence of the Trinh Dynasty in the homeland. Over time, the palace has been degraded, but has been restored and embellished with a more spacious scale, worthy of the contributions of the lords to the country. In particular, to commemorate the contributions of the Trinh Lords to the country, on the death anniversary of King Trinh Kiem in the second lunar month every year, representatives of the Trinh family from all over the country and local people gather here to organize the festival. This is also an opportunity to review the great contributions of King Trinh Kiem to the country and the clan. At the same time, introduce and promote to the people and tourists about attractive destinations - the historical relic complex of Trinh Palace - Vet Temple, about the land and people of Thanh in general and the land and people of Vinh Loc in particular.

Leaving the spiritual tourist attractions, visitors can go to the Kim Son relic complex (Vinh An commune). Here, there is a large lake at the foot of the mountain, a lagoon and the charming Au stream, blending with the majestic natural scenery with trees, flowers and leaves, giving visitors a sense of peace. In particular, visitors can sit on a boat gliding on the Au stream and visit Ngoc Kieu cave - a cave with two floors going up and down. Many ancient texts are still preserved on the cave walls. Located right next to Ngoc Kieu cave is Kim Son water cave, as beautiful as a watercolor painting with the highlight being stalactites of various shapes...

Amidst the harmonious natural landscape here, Linh Ung Pagoda has a very special beauty. The pagoda was built during the Ly Dynasty and restored during the reign of King Bao Dai. The location of the pagoda has important feng shui elements and creates a peaceful, spiritual space. Every year, the Quan The Am festival is held at the pagoda in the middle of the second lunar month, expressing the people's wishes for favorable weather, bountiful crops...

To meet the needs of tourists when visiting, Vinh Loc district has paid special attention to the restoration and embellishment of relics. In addition, it also focuses on developing a variety of spiritual tours such as: Ho Dynasty Citadel - Binh Khuong Temple - Nhan Lo Pagoda - Tuong Van Pagoda - Nam Giao Altar - Du Anh Pagoda (Thong Pagoda); tours of relics and scenic spots: Ho Dynasty Citadel, Trinh Palace, Vet Temple - "Ngu Linh Dong" relic, Tien Son Cave; Ho Dynasty Citadel - stone quarrying site to build Tay Do Citadel - Eo Le Cave... From there, contributing to making Vinh Loc an attractive destination for tourists.

Article and photos: Nguyen Dat